Down 45-37, Florida went on a 19-2 run, which was sparked by Prather. Subbing in for struggling starter Mike Rosario, Prather scored eight of UF's 17 points during the flurry and was equally active on the defensive end.

Florida got off to another strong start. Down 8-7, the Gators went on a 12-0 run, highlighted by inside baskets from Erik Murphy, Kenny Boynton and Casey Prather. Boynton then hit 2 of 3 free throws as he was fouled on a 3-point attempt to put the Gators up 19-8.

But Alabama responded by tightening up defensively and hitting the glass. A putback from Nich Jacobs cut Florida's lead to 21-14. Levi Randolph and Trevor Lacey followed with inside baskets to trim UF's lead to 21-18.

A 3-pointer from Boynton extended UF's lead back to 27-22. But two more inside baskets from Jacobs cut UF's lead to 27-26. Patric Young then answered with a bank shot off the glass for Florida with 1:10 left in the first half to put the Gators up 29-26.

Florida shot just 40.9 percent from the floor and 22.2 percent (2 of 9) from 3-point range. Alabama outrebounded Florida 17-16 in the first half and scored six second-chance points in the first 20 minutes.

Notes: Guard Michael Frazier (concussion) and forward Will Yeguete (knee surgery) returned to action for the Gators on Saturday. ... Former Gator players Jason Williams and Chris Richard sat courtside during the game.